Three Small Words
by BlightedStar
Summary: One-shot fic. After Max climbs through Tess' window to tell her of his returned memories after healing Brody, she helps with his first memory retrieval lesson.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Roswell or the characters. This was written for fun, and because I was always curious what happened between _Off the Menu_ and _Heart of Mine_ with Max and Tess. Hope you enjoy.

**Pairing:** Max/Tess

"I remember you," Max admitted. His voice was barely above a whisper.

Those three small words had an immediate affect on Tess. Tears stung her eyes. Normally, she was not an emotional person. Throughout her whole life Nasedo hammered the idea into her head that only humans were emotional. Humans were weak, and they were beneath her. Right now, Tess didn't care about anything Nasedo ever taught her. All his lessons went out the same window that Max just snuck through. Ever since she came to town and discovered that Max had no memory of their past life or knowledge of her existence, she wanted to hear him say those words even more than _"I love you_."

Tess blinked, and the tears trickled down her cheek.

Max reached out to wipe her tears away. His warm fingers gently stroked her cheek, and his touch made her rapidly beating heart soar. There was a look of tenderness in his eyes that Tess never wanted to forget. Never before had she been looked at that way by him. Tess held her breath and stayed absolutely still, so she could savor the sensation of being caressed by him, and because she feared that if she moved or spoke this wonderful dream would shatter.

Max stopped touching her. They sat in silence that grew more awkward as the seconds passed. They looked at each other for a while, which gave Tess' mind time to wonder what he remembered and how much he was able to remember.

"What-" she started to inquire. Her voice was hoarse, and Tess swallowed the lump in her throat. "What did you remember?"

"It was blurry." He looked down. His brows furrowed as he tried to recall details of what he saw.

Already the memory was distant like a dream he could barely latch on to. Max shut his eyes, so he could make sense of what he saw, and he tried to accurately describe it. "We were sitting in a field, I think. Just the two of us, talking." Colors like blue, green and yellow dominated the mostly hazy vision. "I don't remember what we were talking about or what we looked like," he paused. Feelings were stronger than anything else. Max felt how much Tess loved him. The love she felt for him wasn't because he was the future king, and being with him would provide her with power and riches. She had a genuine love for the person he was outside of his position. Max hesitated before he said, "I do remember how I loved you."

Tess struggled to contain her excitement. She knew the moment Max described inside and out. They had traveled to the country after Zan had been away for quite some time. The two of them were having a romantic picnic where they ate, drank, talked, laughed and exchanged many kisses. Every detail from the smell of the grass to the way the food tasted could be easily recalled. That day in their life together was one of her favorites and one she discovered soon after learning how to do memory retrieval.

A beaming Tess made Max afraid to say anymore because he didn't want to get her hopes up, or for her to get the wrong idea. Zan had loved Ava very much, and Max accepted that, but he couldn't think about being with her in that way right now.

Max couldn't articulate why he came in the middle of the night to tell her the news. Truth was, that small glimpse of his former life peeked his was now curious about who he was as a person and as a king. He wanted to remember all the people in his past, not only Tess. "I want to remember more."

"You want to do memory retrieval right now?" Tess glanced at the clock. Big red numbers indicated that it was a little after 5AM.

"Yes," Max replied.

Hundreds of times Tess had imagined a day where Max would eagerly seek her out to ask for help with remembering. But then he continually pushed her away in favor of Liz, denied their life together, and his love for her. Her hope had slowly vanished and she resigned herself to that fact that he would never come to her. She could hardly believe the time had finally come where he was sitting in front of her and showing regard for the past.

If possible, Tess was filled with more happiness that he chose to tell her about his returned memories by sneaking into her bedroom at an odd hour rather than waiting until he saw her at school, and that he didn't want to wait until a normal hour to do memory retrieval.

A celebratory feeling of wanting to shout from the rooftops overwhelmed Tess. A feeling like her skin was the only thing stopping her overjoyed spirit from escaping and going everywhere. Instead of doing all of that, Tess held out both her hands, palms up, and waited for him to make the next move. This was his decision. She didn't want to force him in any way.

Max took them without hesitation.

"Well," Tess licked her lips. "The first thing you should know about memory retrieval is that it's normal for memories to be foggy in the beginning. Don't get frustrated that nothing is concrete because that will prevent you from seeing anything at all."

Max nodded.

"Practicing with another person rather than on your own makes remembering easier and it makes the memories clearer. If you were to practice with Isabel, moments with her would be clearer and easier to recall, same with Michael. Having that person's energy present helps."

"Okay," Max said.

"Clear your mind," she instructed in a soft and soothing voice. "Close your eyes and take deep breaths."

Max did everything he was told. Inhaling, he let Tess' orange blossom scent wash over him. The fragrance relaxed him, and always reminded Max of her as well as another time and place. Breathing in, Max felt like he was transported to a place between wakefulness and dreams. A thick fog shrouded his vision, but that didn't stop a faint melody from reaching his ears.

A pleasant tune played by an instrument that sounded like a violin and guitar combined grew louder. Waves crashing on the shore could also be heard and it was accompanied by a cool breeze that grazed his face. The water's scent was sweet like syrup instead of like the salty tang of Earth's water.

The cloud whirled around before dissipating, and an unclear snapshot was revealed. People looked out of focus like whoever took the photo didn't have a steady hand. Facial features were smudged, but Max sensed Tess' energy close to him.

Tess asked, "What do you see?"

"We're sitting on a beach," Max said, uncertainly. A series of fragmented and nonlinear snapshots flashed before his eyes that he desperately tried to make sense of.

"It's nighttime." An indigo sky was dotted with millions of stars.

"What are we doing?" Tess prodded him with more questions since that would increase Max's focus and lead to a sharper memory.

"Listening to music," he responded.

Max and Tess sat on the sand, his arms were wrapped tightly around Tess' midsection, her back pressed against his front. Their bodies were close enough where he could drink in the orange scent that was distinctively hers.

A quick kiss was placed on her cheek, though Max chose not to voice that occurrence.

"There are four other people with us. Someone, I can't recognize the person, is playing a song," Max continued.

Tess smiled as she relived the same memory.

"I can feel Michael and Isabel's energies, but they're not strong as-" Max paused.

"Not as strong as?" Tess urged him to finish the sentence.

"Not as strong as yours." Tess had been right. While Max recognized Michael and Isabel's presence, theirs was not as powerful as Tess'. Tess was also clearer in this memory than she was in the one he had while healing Brody. "The other two people with us aren't familiar."

"The male playing the instrument is your cousin, Lars," Tess explained. "The female is his wife, Kali."

Max silently repeated the names which he thought to be mostly normal considering they belonged to people on a distant planet. Max had never thought about his family members besides his parents. Tess' explanation led to more questions about his family tree, such as who he was closest to, what happened to them after Kivar took the throne, and if they were still waiting for him to return?

Before he had a chance to study the other two people, the memory changed.

"What else do you see?" Tess' thumbs brushed over his smooth skin.

"The memory changed."

Colors of red and gold flickered before his eyes. The lavish ballroom came into focus. Gold walls carved with images of mythological creatures gleamed underneath the glare of ten crystal chandeliers.

Another song played, though it was not as fast as the one in the prior memory, and more instruments melded together to create a pretty song.

"We're dancing."

Max held the tiny blonde close as they moved together in a circle around the ballroom. Tess' fitted red dress flared as they spun, and he wore a red military uniform with shining gold medals pinned to his left breast. A hundred other energies, some more familiar than others, surrounded them and followed the same steps.

Max stared down into Tess' bright blue eyes, the only feature of her face that he could properly make out. Everything else about her appearance, like the smile that graced her pretty face, was something he only had an impression of.

A relaxed and happy feeling took over Max, feelings his former self didn't usually experience unless he was with Tess.

A flash of heavenly blue introduced a third memory. The entangled couple lied on a four poster bed, completely naked. Blue drapes shielded them from the outside world. After years of not being allowed to give into temptation, because non-married couples were expected to stay chaste, he could finally possess her.

Giggles escaped Tess' lips as Max slowly worked his way down her beautiful body, kissing and tasting her. Those soft giggles made him want to devour her in an animal-like, passionate way, but Max was careful not to go too fast. It was more fun this way. He started at her neck, moved to her breasts, and then showered her abdomen with attentive kisses.

Fingers slid up her inner thigh until it reached her wet core. Max's actions elicited a series of moans. Tess pleaded with him in a language that Max couldn't understand, but he could guess what she was asking of him. Rather than giving into her demands, his former self continued to tease her by rubbing her clit. Max could feel her body quake beneath his. Her hands tangled in his hair, and she pulled him up so their mouths could meet.

"What do you see now?"

Heat crept up Max's neck and cheeks, he blushed beet red, and he tried to stop his body from having other natural reactions. This was one memory that could not be shared. Luckily, it quickly dissolved and a new one took shape.

A whiff of the freshly cut grass and of the pink and orange blossoms tickled Max's nose. Underneath a massive tree, Max and Tess stood, shaded from the sun's scarlet rays. The pair faced each other and recited vows in a foreign language. Max wasn't sure how he knew, but the ancient tree was said to be where all life started on Antar.

"I see us. We're standing on a hilltop. I can see the palace in the distance." Max was certain that he was seeing a snippet of their wedding, but he didn't want to vocalize that he was viewing something that had been important and life changing. He couldn't quite believe that he was able to see something so significant this early in his lessons.

"_But maybe that's the point," _Max thought. _"Marrying Tess left enough of an impression that it would be easy to remember." _

If Tess realized he was holding back information, she didn't let him know. Tess continued to guide him, "What is happening?"

"People are watching us. Isabel is there, Michael, and-" Max tried to explore the memory further, but he couldn't hold onto it.

A new one formed. Colors and sounds mixed from the two separate events. Someone with a deep voice was making a speech. Words echoed against the high ceiling where past kings were immortalized with paint, and the walls which were covered with red velvet. In his hands, held high above his head, the man held a crown.

Max sat on his throne, above everyone else, and looked down on his subjects. An overwhelming sense of power and pride coursed through his veins when the heavy crown made of gold and encrusted with red jewels was placed on his head, pushing its way into his scalp. A sea of one hundred people bowed to him. Their bodies dropped so close to the white marble floor. Trumpets blared to announce the new king.

Incessant banging interjected itself into the memory, disturbing the already fragile image. Colors dulled, sounds and feelings faded. The hold Max had on Tess' hands tightened as if that would help him cling to the memory, but it slipped away just as fast as it came.

Both of them opened their eyes, and Max shook his head to get his bearings. He was not in a foreign land, being hailed by the people who surrounded him. Beams of golden sunlight filtered through the gauzy curtains and illuminated the entire bedroom located on the comfortable and familiar planet he now called home.

"I remembered," Max's excitement made him speak too loudly.

"Shhh," Tess warned after the steady hammering stopped. As much as she loved to see Max be excited about his memories, and wanted to talk more about them, she also didn't want Jim walking into her room and finding Max there.

Despite no longer working as sheriff, Jim woke up every morning just before 6AM out of habit.

"He's been building something for weeks," Tess whispered. "He usually makes that ruckus for an hour, and then eats breakfast with me and Kyle," she explained further. Valenti didn't feel very productive nowadays, and building whatever that contraption was outside her bedroom gave him some sort of purpose.

Max nodded, and looked down at his hands which were still clasped in Tess'. A gentle caress of his skin sent a jolt of electricity through his body. Such an intimate gesture didn't make it any easier to deal with his already jumbled emotions: antsy, nervous, comfortable and like being with her was right. Sleep might help, though Max knew he was unlikely to get any before school started since his mind was too engrossed with the new memories he witnessed.

"I should leave." Max let go of her hands and practically jumped off the bed.

"We can do this again later." Tess rose, too, and followed him to the window. "If you want to," she added. She had the most hopeful expression on her face.

Max nodded. "Yea, we can meet after school."

Tess grin widened for she was absolutely thrilled that he was so keen.

Max stood by her window, one hand on the ledge, ready to leave, but something stopped him. His mouth parted as if he wanted to say something. He should probably thank her for helping, express how happy the newfound memories made him, or even say something simple like "see you later," but the words refused to come out.

Tess raised her brow and waited. Max's gaze went everywhere else in the room except for to her. Without another word, he exited.

Tess watched Max climb out the window. After his figure retreated, she plopped down on the bed again, the mattress' springs squeaked under her weight. Her petite body leaned back against the wall. She smiled happily while she relived the last hour and thought of the promising future.


End file.
